But he couldn’t resist teasing a little.
“I could use a million bucks, y’know,” Isaac quipped, and Shadrach pinched his side when Talon swung a withering glare at him.
Sitting at the air hockey table with Luke, Malachi barked out a laugh.
“We could’ve used one of those halflings to find out where Lilith was hiding,” Talon said.
“Those halflings were idiots,” Isaac said. “They wouldn’t have known anything.”
“He’s probably right,” Nathan said, letting Storm pull him into his lap. Neither were small men, and the metal folding chair creaked under their combined weight. “The ones that attacked Alex and I were much better prepared. These guys had a gun, but only one. The other four were completely unarmed. I don’t think they expected us to put up much of a fight—which is stupid, like Isaac said, because we were paladins, for God’s sake. And they specifically mentioned wanting Alex, not us. I suggest no patrols for you for a while,” he said to the man himself, who pouted.
“What? I’m not just gonna hide away while the rest of you handle everything,” Alex said.
“They want you because they know you’re Talon’s weakness,” Nathan said. “They’ll capture you and use you to draw him out.”
Alex shot Talon a discomfited look, and Talon wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
“We’ll find Lilith, little bird,” Talon said softly, “and put a stop to this soon. I promise.”
“There’s got to be someone who knows where this Lilith person is,” Isaac said. “What about all the demons at the club?”
“I can think of several who might know how to find her,” Talon said, his hand absently rubbing up and down Alex’s upper arm. “None who would be willing to talk to us, though. She’s got a lot of connections in the city. Even if we could question her contacts, it’d take time to find her.”
Isaac looked between Talon and Shadrach. “You two are leviathans or whatever, right? You’re stronger than halflings. Can’t you just rough some people up until someone gives her up?”
“Not if we ever want to be welcome at the club again, killer,” Shadrach said. “Lilith may ‘only’ be a halfling, but she’s been doing this for a very long time. She hasn’t been in power for this long without being ruthless and cunning. In a one-on-one fight, yes, we would be physically stronger, but when it comes to resources and connections, she’s got us beat.”
Isaac hummed, his expression thoughtful. He was thinking intently about something. Shadrach studied his profile, waiting.
“Okay, so the easiest way to find her would be to draw her out. She won’t feel safe showing her face until Talon is dead, so we make her think Talon’s dead,” Isaac said, leaning into Shadrach’s side.
“She’s not going to believe anyonehere,” Talon said dismissively.
“She’d believe me,” Isaac said. “I’m a goddamn paladin.” He grinned, like he enjoyed the way the curse felt on his tongue. “We have plenty of reason to hate each other, and they don’t know we’re…” he gestured loosely, “on the same side or whatever. So. I’ll do it. How would I find her, if I wanted to turn in the bounty?”
“She won’t believe apaladinis cashing in on a demon’s bounty,” Storm said, then glanced from face to face. “Will she?”
“So I’ll show her I’m not loyal to the guild. In theory, if I take her money, I’m free to leave the guild and set for life. Where’s the downside? I could sell it.”
“If anybody could, it’d be Isaac,” Luke said.
Isaac yawned, pressing closer to Shadrach. “Tomorrow night, I’ll go to In Extremis. Ask around. Tell a bunch of red-eyes I want to talk to Lilith, because I killed the big bad demon she wanted dead.” He flapped a hand in Talon’s direction. “She’ll probably want proof, right? She won’t trust a holy man. We set up a meeting, and you guys swoop in and do your thing. Easy.”
Shadrach pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I told you he was smart.”
“It could work,” Nathan agreed. “She doesn’t know he’s been here. She has no reason to suspect he’s working with us. At worst, she’d suspect he was setting her up with theguild. Depending on how badly she wants Talon dead, though, she might be willing to risk it.”
Talon stroked his jaw, eyeing Isaac unhappily. “I want to state for the record that I still don’tlikehim,” he said. “But okay. Let’s do it.”
Chapter 21
Isaac
They went homefor Isaac to shower and freshen up, because he wanted to get this In Extremis visit over as soon as possible. It was just after midnight—plenty of time to go by the club and set their plan in motion by announcing that he’d killed Talon and wanted to cash in on the bounty. He’d dressed in some of his brand new clothes—a pair of dark jeans and a white button-up that was as soft as butter. His hair was down for once, the ends spiraling lightly as they dried. He felt distinctly naked without a weapon, knowing he was about to walk into a demonic lair that wasn’t exactly friendly, and he wasn’t the only one stressing about the impending visit.
“When you get in there, remember: don’t take any shit from anyone,” Shadrach instructed, smoothing his hands across Isaac’s shoulders.
Shadrach’s living room was dimly lit with only a standing lamp glowing in the corner. The demon fidgeted, smoothing Isaac’s folded collar and checking the buttons on his shirt. He was fretting; it was cute.
